


The Thin Line

by Shianhygge



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Gen, Implied Relationships, Repairing Relationships, Some of the relationships are platonic, Story told partially through flashbacks, some of the relationships are failed, some of the relationships are familial
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:33:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25403149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shianhygge/pseuds/Shianhygge
Summary: "The line between Light and Dark is so very thin."Nobody knows this to be true more than Iroha.The circumstances by which she was chosen left her treading through a realm dominated by Light with the remnants of her predecessor lurking just beneath her skin.Out of touch with the Traveler's dogma, but unwilling to completely embrace the malice whispering at the back of her mind, Iroha finds herself at odds with many of her fellow Lightbearers. Stubbornly, she balances herself upon that thin line.
Relationships: Female Guardian/Uldren Sov, Maybe Female Guardian/Drifter, Past Rezyl Azzir/Original Female Character
Kudos: 5





	The Thin Line

Dwindler’s Ridge had long since been deemed a place that Lightbearers avoided. It was the location of the final moments of the Guardians’ boogeyman, Dredgen Yor. All Gunslinger Hunters knew the story well.

Of the Man with the Golden Gun, Shin Malphur, a man who tracked down the evil Dredgen Yor to avenge all those that fell to the cursed Thorn.

Of the duel upon the ridge, where Shin shot Yor down with the Last Word, channeling solar Light into the two bullets that struck.

Though Dredgen Yor fell that day, some claim that the Ridge still holds a malicious presence.

Iroha trudged up the side of the Ridge, a scout rifle in hand and an old fashioned hand cannon holstered upon her right thigh. The sun had started to set on the horizon, casting the trees and rock formations into a world of shadowy orange and red shades. Eyes hidden by the sleek helmet darted to and from certain vantage points along the pathway up. She wouldn’t put it past the Praxic Order to stage an ambush, Iroha was a wanted woman, after all.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” the voice of her precious Ghost chirped through her helmet’s comms as he hid in the small hip pack hidden against the small of her back and behind her cloak.

“I have to see him.” Iroha insisted, speeding up her pace when she noticed the top of the Ridge peeking out of the foliage.

“I don’t know if I can bring him back.”

“I don’t need him to be alive. If we truly do share the same Light… then I’ll be able to feel him.”

“He’s not the same as he was in your memories.” Iroha’s Ghost, Vincent, warned. “Rezyl died first when he learned that Ceylon had died, and once more when he went to the Moon. What was left of him… Yor… was a monster. Are you sure that you want to get so close to such corruption?”

Iroha paused at the edge of the tree line and in clear view of an unmarked grave at the other end of the Ridge clearing. Shin had been telling the truth, the exiled Hunter mused, glowing blue eyes taking in the quiet scene before her. She could feel something calling to her from that grave as well as the corruption that enshrouded the presence.

“Iroha?” Vincent called to her hesitantly, no doubt as unsettled as his Guardian. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

The exiled Hunter sighed and holstered the rifle to her back before reaching up to slip of the helmet, letting shoulder length black hair cascade down to frame her face. “I… Ceylon and Rezyl never had the chance to say goodbye.” Her cloak’s hood had long since fallen off, baring the Hunter’s face for all those present to see. “I realize that I was no longer Ceylon the moment that you brought me back, but the memories…” Iroha raised a hand to tap against her skull, “they keep coming back. She died regretting having such a petty argument with Rezyl.”

There is the sizzle of light as Vincent materialized in front of her face, his blue optic seemed to droop slightly as he sighed, “Then I guess this is closure for all of us. Just promise me to be careful, Iroha.”

The Awoken woman smiled fondly at her companion, holding back a shudder as she closed the distance to stand in front of Dredgen Yor’s grave. “I promise.”

The closer that Iroha ventured towards the grave, the more the presence seemed to enshroud her, wrapping her tiny form in a mock embrace. Having only known the warmth of the Traveler’s Light through Vincent, Iroha shivered at the chill radiating from the presence.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Iroha heard the deep gravelly purr of a man’s voice.

_You…_

“Me…” Iroha replied under her breath, a smug grin appearing on her face. “I-” _missed you, my love._ “-figured that I’d visit you… I think I owe you some answers and a run down of some stuff.” Vincent hovered silently by Iroha’s side, blue optic trained on the grave. “It’s all really a jumbled mess, so I’ll do the best I can to tell you what happened.” There is no voice at the back of her mind, but the presence seems to become impatient.

“Vincent told me that you didn’t want to be called by your original name, but because I never knew you as Dredgen Yor, I’m just gonna disregard it, Rezyl.” The presence grew annoyed and slightly murderous. “Not that anyone knows your real identity, of course, but I just…” Iroha sighed, “Ceylon died, Rezyl, not even two days after you two had that argument. She died at the hands of Lightbearers that despised her for her aid towards the Eliksni. She died regretting that stupid argument and that her pride had cost her two days with you.”

When there was no reaction from that strange lingering presence, Iroha shifted and took a seat on the dirt floor in front of the grave. “I’m not sure if you held onto the part that loved her, but I wanted to let you know that she loved you even as the life left her body.” Still nothing. “I go by Iroha now. When Vincent left you on Mars, he traveled aimlessly before he was drawn to me. By the time I was revived, you’d already been killed by Shin.” The Exiled Guardian smiled bitterly, “It’s a sick joke, I think, for Ceylon to have died while Rezyl lived on… and then for Iroha to live while Yor died.”

“You’re probably wondering why I remember my past… and to be honest, I don’t even know what to say.” She leaned forward to press her palm to the grave even as she whispered, “I didn’t have my memories in the beginning. But the longer I lived as a Lightbearer, the more I remembered. The more I remembered, the stronger I felt a pull. Somehow, you and I are still connected. Your darkness calls to me beneath my skin. Maybe you’re the reason why I’m not as connected to the Traveler.”

“It’s probably a thing to be celebrated. I know a lot of Guardians that would give anything to remember who they were… but my memories brought back my old habits… and surprise surprise, I went right back to helping out the Eliksni.” Iroha laughed, her eyes closing at the mention of her exile. “You’d probably scold me, but I managed to piss off both the Consensus _and_ the Vanguard. I guess I’m following in your footsteps… kinda.” She wasn’t his copy. “I don’t kill innocent people. I don’t feed on their despair. I’m not you, but… stealing supplies to give to the Eliksni… attacking fellow Guardians to protect a helpless Dreg… to those in the Last City, I’m probably not much better than you.” The exiled Hunter shrugs, “Still, I don’t regret my actions… just that those who once called me friend would throw me aside so easily.”

Iroha continued to speak to the grave for many hours after that, finding that the more she spoke to the presence, the more she could hear of him in return. By the time the sun had completely set, the exiled Hunter had relaxed, completely at ease with the presence of Dredgen Yor to the point that she could feel him sitting behind her, their backs pressed together.

Vincent simply watched on with worry when Iroha would frequently pause and respond to someone who wasn’t there.


End file.
